We are just about done with the A to Z RE-DESIGNING your Life Challenge.

It’s time to RE-VIEW just how far you’ve come and catch up on any unfinished tasks.

Take a look at all the time that you have put into this challenge and the suggested activities.

What have you found to be the most beneficial?

Have there been subtle changes or drastic ones?

What is/was the most difficult?

Which ones still need your attention?

At any given moment we can look back on our lives and find both blessings and regrets.

Wouldn’t it be great to tip the scales in your favor and stack the deck so your memories can be OUTSTANDING?

Of course we can all lose track, get behind in our work, and ‘fall off the horse’ so to speak.

Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep going.

So maybe you’ve made some mistakes, missed a few deadlines etc. The time that you spend beating yourself up can be used instead to get on with the next best thing to do in your best interest. You’ve beat yourself up enough and I doubt that it did you any good.

Someone once told me. “You can’t beat yourself UP!” “What your really doing is beating yourself DOWN!.” Nothing good can come out of that- its just a waste of time. It’s a habit worth breaking.

Moving forward from here on out, what would you like to put in place in your life right now, so when you look back in a week, a year or 5 years you can smile and say “YES! I made the best possible choices!” “I used my power productively.” “I’m so glad that I did (or didn’t) do/say that!”

If it will help or make you feel better find yourself an ‘ ACCOUNTABILITY BUDDY.’ A friend who would like to go through all the steps and challenges by your side. They don’t need to share their info/process- that can be kept private. You can gently encourage and nudge each other to complete the whole process from A to Z, and then you can both celebrate together! (and create an accomplishment memory together).

So wipe that slate clean, stop keeping score, and continue in a direction that best suites your needs.

It’s a big part of our psyche and it influences our daily thoughts, behaviors and actions.

It’s how we define ourselves and project ourselves to others.

I’m sure you’ve heard that there is always more than one side of the story.

It depends how you look at it, how you perceive it.

At any given time we can reiterate it, step by step with all of its pain, misery, struggles, hardships, hurts and woes. From time to time we can sprinkle in a little hope, laughter, love, happiness, joy, fun and gratitude. It depends what you focus on and what emotion or reaction that you would like to solicit from others. Do you spin a tale of woe or wisdom?

Think about that for a moment.

It can be quite manipulative and self-sabotaging. Did you ever listen to how you speak about yourself and others? Are there certain words that you always use? Biases that come into play? Where did all of that come from? Do you wonder?

Do you realize that most of what you think and perceive is implanted in your childhood? Children do not have the same tools, skills, knowledge and resources that adults do. They do the best that they can, yet it is a very limited experience.

My challenge for you today, is to look at one of your ‘stories.’ Really look at it and see how a child would understand it and how an adult can view it. You might be surprised that they canbe very different. Same experience – two different points of view. Are there emotions or points of view that you may be stuck on? Just for a few minutes could you entertain the possibility of it being other than you have been led to believe? Just for a few moments? Can you look at the ’emotional charge’ of the situation and put it in a different context? See it in another light? Can you allow yourself to work through it and see a different version?

Once you’ve sat with that for awhile you may be able to RE-TELL that story in a new light.